Development Centre UMT is the secretariat of Lifestyle & Design Cluster which is a non- profit Innovation Cluster under the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. Our main purpose is to promote growth and innovation in the home- and clothing sectors and the creative industries with focus on SMEs by identifying, communicating and acting as a repository for new knowledge and acting as a link between businesses, research and knowledge institutions transferring new knowledge to the bottom line.
The strategic focus areas of the cluster are: Innovation & Design, New Materials, Fashion & Clothing, Furniture, Matchmaking and Internationalization. The Cluster works closely together with lifestyle companies and industry organizations. Development Centre UMT has existed since 2002. Today the network consists of 12 partners that count Universities, technological Institutes, Schools of Design and Architecture and expert settings amongst others within ICT. In 2013 and again in 2015 the cluster achieved a gold label in Cluster Management Excellence from European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI).
Project Manager:
Joan Knudsen
Joan holds a Master in Furniture Design along with a solid background as Creative Director at LEGO, Product- and Category Manager for several Danish Furniture manufacturing Companies. Being head of Innovation- and product development processes she has developed strong project management skills and has a profound experience in working internationally and cross cultures.
She was Development Centre UMTs representative in the Flag Ship Comfort in Living, one of the projects in the Baltic Sea Interreg projects run by the Swedish authority Vinnova.
There she was responsible for organizing a 5- day Innovation Camp with participation of students, companies, teachers and project partners from 7 countries.